HOPE RESTORED: SUBMIT

Sermon Notes, November 15, 2015

Rev. Garry McGlinchy

            Rev. McGlinchy continued his second sermon series based on 1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love.  But the greatest of these is love.”  He has spoken of Faith Redefined: Obedient; Miraculous; and Tested.  The second sermon in his series was titled Hope Restored: Submit.

Pastor Garry summarized last week’s sermon Hope Restored: Rest by reminding us that when all is crashing down around us, God gives us times of rest.  We should learn from the experience, and trust that God knows what He is doing.  We should be willing to change and grow, without complaining and arguing!    

We don’t like to submit: we want to be in control. We see that God’s love for us is so great that He takes the time to shape us.  When we submit to His will and discipline our bond with Him gets stronger. The more we seek Him the stronger our relationship with Him.  Relationship means to spend time with someone.

The scripture basis for this sermon is Lamentations 3:27-36.  Verse 27 says it’s good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young.  To bear the yoke is to willingly come under God’s authority and discipline and be willing to learn from it.  When we sit alone in silent reflection, much as a child is sent by a parent to his room to think about what he’s done wrong, this is where our resistance, complaining and rebellion ends.  Sitting alone this way is a display of HOPE and Trust in God, not abandonment and rejection!

In verse 29 Jeremiah calls us to continue this state of humility, submission, and surrender, because it gets us thinking that there might yet be HOPE.  Our rebellion will end when we realize everything is under God’s control.

No one is entitled to God’s grace.  But a repentant heart puts us on the fast track to restoring our relationship with Him.  Verses 31-33 remind us that God is in control of all things.  God doesn’t willingly want to cast off or afflict His people; how many warnings did He give them?  Their affliction was a long time coming, and it won’t last forever!  God is the one who shows compassion, and the one who brings grief.  His covenant has no end.  There is HOPE for us all!

God’s people had gotten into the dangerous habit of taking God’s grace for granted.  They continuously turned a deaf ear to His warnings.  How many times have we turned a deaf ear to God’s warnings?  Many Christians have gotten into the habit of taking God’s grace for granted.  This only leads to losing hope, not restoring it!

Verses 34-36 show us that He hears our cries.  He sees what is going on, and He will take care of it.  He sees the injustices of the world, whether it’s a government gone wrong or whatever the problem, and He alone will bring Justice.  We lose hope when we try to fix the problems ourselves.  This only leads us further into hopelessness.  However, when we stop fighting and willingly come under God’s discipline, our love for Him grows.  Our HOPE grows. We serve a God whose love for us is unfailing and unending. When we submit to His discipline, we not only see how great His love is for us, but we also gain a greater understanding that He is the God of everything!  He is in control!

Our hope is restored when we submit to God and trust that His will will be done.